


falling down deep

by meggiewrites



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: (kinda), (there's blood and bruises involved), A classic, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Best Friends Being Assholes, Clumsy Mats, Falling In Love, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 01:31:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16965189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meggiewrites/pseuds/meggiewrites
Summary: Mats falls into a lake. Benedikt is the nice bystander who offers to lend him some clothes. Well, his roommate's clothes. Ft. Thomas as a very annoying best friend.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This might or might not be based on real events. You will never know. Also, some day I will write another friendship than Thomats' ..... today is not this day.
> 
> Unbeta'd. Second chapter coming tomorrow. Enjoy!

Mats should have known something bad would happen that day, he really should have.

Not that there were any signs pointing towards it, on the contrary. The sky is blue and the air surprisingly warm for late September, warm enough to don jeans and a t-shirt, it’s his day off and him and his friend have decided to spend the afternoon outside. Said friend of course being Thomas, cause everyone else was either too busy or Mats didn’t feel like talking to them anyway.

So yes, everything seems perfect, except that Mats Hummels can’t have nice things, and as such, he should have known that something unexpected and probably shitty would happen sooner or later.

It turns out to be later, actually. They’ve taken out their bicycles, spending hours driving across the Bavarian countryside until they finally arrived at the Tegernsee and sat down at the edge of a small pier. Exhausted, but content.

Thomas is spread out on his back, arms crossed behind his head, his eyes closed behind his sunglasses, legs dangling off the edge. Mats did the same but has stayed sitting, letting his gaze roam over the snow-topped mountains on the horizon.

It’s incredibly peaceful, and for a second, Mats feels blissfully, all-encompassingly happy.

And then, the second is over. Thomas sighs, getting up as he stretches his arms over his head.

“Well, this is it then. I really need to go, I promised my parents I’d come over for dinner. If I leave now, I’ll still have time for a shower at home.”

Mats blinks up at him. Thomas is blocking the sun, but even without being able to make out his features, Mats can perfectly imagine his wide smirk as he pokes his foot into Mats’ thigh.

“C’mon, you big log, get up. It will take us another half hour until we’re back at the car.”

Mats groans and doesn’t rush to stand up. Instead, he deliberately takes his time, sending a shiteating grin in his friend’s direction.

In retrospect, he probably should have paid less attention to teasing Thomas and decidedly more towards where he actually put his feet. Because as he’s raising a single, perfectly maintained eyebrow at the annoying prick he calls his best friend, he places his left one right onto the curved edge of the pier. Now, if he’d been standing steadily on his right foot, that wouldn’t have been a problem. The problem is, he isn’t.

So, he starts waving his arms in a desperate attempt to keep his balance, of cause failing spectacularly, and then – he doesn’t even properly register the fall.

The pier isn’t high, only about one and a half meters until he hits the water surface. Luckily enough the water is deep enough though, Mats notices as he feels all his clothes being completely drenched. They weigh him down and soon he feels all-too much like a sinking stone, his shoes almost slipping off his feet.

As he spews water he hazily remembers that luckily, he placed his phone next to him on the pier and didn’t put it back in his pocket yet.

It takes him a few seconds to get his orientation back, his whole body trembling – is it from shock? It must be. He can’t really tell – mentally, he’s surprisingly fine, but he realizes this must have some effect on his body anyway.

When he finally is able to take in his surroundings again, he realizes Thomas is looking down at him with a flabbergasted expression, gnawing on his lips, next to a bystander who probably had the honor to witness his less-than-graceful fall up close and personal. Luckily, apart a couple in a canoe a few meters out on the lake who are rowing in his direction, no one else seems to have noticed his little mishap.

Looking back up, Mats notices that the stranger has artfully messed short blond hair, his beautiful face clearly laced with concern, his brows furrowed.

“Are you alright?” he asks, and his voice is just as beautiful as the rest of him.

Thomas doesn’t say anything, which is worrying in its own right. Mats, still unable to take his eyes off the stranger, nods shakily.

“Do you …” he manages to croaks, “... how do I get out?” His realizes his right hand is a bit bloody from he must have scraped it on the rough concrete. The edge is decidedly too high up for him to reach for it or for the others to pull him up.

“There’s a ladder over there,” the stranger says, his frown deepening. “You’re bleeding. Are you sure you’re fine?”

Mats, slowly swimming over to the ladder, isn’t really capable of an answer. His hands are shaking as he pulls himself up, his clothes sticking to his body uncomfortably, so incredibly heavy while his shoes make slurping sounds with every step he takes.

He feels completely ridiculous, standing on the pier like that, not even really dares to lift his eyes, flinching when someone hands him a towel. The couple in the canoe apparently have rowed up to the shore and the woman is looking at him with a soft smile.

“That was quite the fall. Hope you’re alright.”

Mats nods. “My leg and my hand hurt a bit, actually. Nothing too bad, though. Mostly I’m wondering how the fuck I should get back home in these clothes.”

Thomas still looks pretty lost. He has already gathered up Mats' things, shouldering now both their backpacks.

It’s the stranger who clears his throat then.

“I live really close. Five minutes from here by foot.” He gives Mats a once-over. “I don’t think you’ll fit into my pants, but my roommate should be roughly your size.”

“Oh no, I’m sure I’ll be–” Thomas interrupts him before Mats even has a chance to finish.

“That’s great! Thank you so much for offering, I’m sure Mats here appreciates it a lot.”

Mats resists the urge to elbow him in the stomach and turns to offer the stranger a crooked smile.

It’s not that he doesn’t feel the urge to get to know this beautiful person better; but he also thinks that taking up an offer like that is almost imposing a bit. Then again – there’s no way he’ll be able to ride his bike like this. Nor survive a ride in Thomas’ car without catching pneumonia, for that matter.

And thus, both Thomas, carrying all their stuff while pushing his own bike, and Mats, his shoes in one hand and pushing his bike with the other, follow the stranger over the gravel path leading along the shore.

Mats winces every time a pebble digs its sharp edges into the sole of his feet, but luckily, it does in fact only take only take about six minutes until they reach the stranger’s house.

He and Mats walk alongside each other, and with each step, Mats can feel his surprisingly untorn pants rub at the probably scuffed skin of his shin underneath. Now that he’s over the shock he takes notice of the pain spreading from there and his hand fully for the first time. Sure, they aren’t bad injuries at all, but his ring finger looks like it’s been shredded and he’s walking with a slight limp because of the pain.

As he lifts his head, he can see the stranger looking at him.

“That really was a nasty fall. My roommate and I have long been joking that someday, someone will tumble into the lake there, what with everyone’s proclivity to sit at the edge and it being so high. Sorry it had to be you.”

Mats winces. He doesn’t even wanna picture the image he must have presented, the funny memory everyone on the promenade has been gifted with. He just hopes no one recorded the entire thing – sure, he wouldn’t mind being internet famous, but this is certainly not the way he wants to reach fame.

“Yeah. I promise usually things like this don’t happen to me though. Guess I must have been more exhausted than I realized.”

Behind them, Thomas snorts. Luckily for him, he doesn’t add anything else.

“Anyway,” the stranger smiles, “I’m Benedikt.”

“Mats,” Mats says and extends his hand. “And that,” he points over his shoulder as the stranger shakes it (he winces as those elegant fingers accidentally brush over his tiny wounds), “is my best friend Thomas.”

They’ve come to a halt in front of a small, white, two-story terraced house. Benedikt offers them a crooked grin as he unlocks the front door, but just as he wants to open it, it’s opened from inside.

They’re faced with a tall, wide-eyed guy roughly their age with a pretty face, gaping at Benedikt in a slightly incredulous manner.

“Bene? What is this? Didn’t you say you were going for a walk?”

Benedikt pulls a face. “Were you just leaving? Sorry, he,” he points at Mats, “fell into the lake down at the pier, can you imagine. I thought ... could you maybe lend him something to wear? A pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, some slippers, something like that?”

“And maybe some underwear too,” Thomas quips, grinning way too widely, winking.

The guy, who must be Benedikt’s roommate, gives them all a confused nod as he retreats back into the house while Benedikt ushers Mats and Thomas inside.

“I’m sure he’ll find something. Do you guys want something to drink?”

Both Mats and Thomas shake their heads, but as Thomas lets his eyes roam over the hallway opening to a modest but cozy-looking living room, Mats’ eyes are almost exclusively glued to Benedikt’s frame.

He’s beautiful, Mats thinks once again, with laughter-lines by his eyes and the corners of his mouth, his cheeks speckled with freckles that form strange constellations on his skin. His eyes are warm and bright and his – slightly sparse but soft-looking – hair looks sunkissed. That, combined with his clearly warm-hearted and kind personality … Mats can’t deny he’s taken with him. Probably way too much for someone he only met fifteen minutes ago.

Benedikt only offers him a smile when he catches Mats stare like the creep he is, and it spreads into a grin when his roommate springs down the stair again, with a grace that really should be impossible for someone his size.

He thrusts a bundle of clothes into Mats’ waiting hands, and Benedikt shows him to the bathroom, where he can change.

Getting out of his wet clothes is harder than expected. Upon inspection, his leg isn’t actually scuffed, but it’s decorated with a lovely, rather big bruise that is slowly turning purple. It hurts when he brushes his fingers over it, and Mats winces. Surely it can’t be too bad, but he can tell he’ll carry this mark around with him for weeks to come.

Benedikt has offered him a few band-aids for his fingers, as well as some ointment he found in the cabinet. It burns on the open wounds, but when he’s all patched-up he at least look like a real person again. A person who wears sweatpants and a grubby t-shirt that’s slightly too roomy for him in the middle of the day, maybe, but a person.

When he comes out of the bathroom, he finds Benedikt waiting for him with a plastic bag for his wet clothes that Mats gladly dumps them into. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Thomas talking to Benedikt’s roommate, giving the guy an apologizing grin as Mats waves him over.

It’s not only Thomas who needs to head back to the city, Mats has some commitments for the evening too. (Dinner with some of his mates from work, to be exact. He isn’t really looking forward to it, and he really wishes this accident was enough to get him out of it, but – well, it’s not like he would want to admit this in front of them.) So hde offers Benedikt one last grateful smile as they awkwardly hover in the door. Mats’ saviour and his roommate don’t have a car, Thomas informs him, but they told him that they could take the bus back to where they’d parked the car.

Mats and Benedikt exchange a quick hug as a goodbye, and Mats swears he feels butterflies soaring up in his stomach.

It’s only when he’s back home, when he’s changed back into some of his own clothes, that he realizes he never got Benedikt’s number or address or even his full name.

Which is nothing short of a tragedy, both because he can’t return the clothes – and mostly because it means he won’t be able to see Benedikt again.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Over the course of the next two weeks, Thomas starts being glued to his phone a lot more often. At first, Mats blames it on Bayern Munich, Thomas’ favourite football team, being involved in some kind of drama slash crisis at the moment and some urge to maybe keep up with that. But then he notices the soft smile that tugs at his lips every time his friend reads a notification – and soon, it becomes crystal clear to Mats what’s happening.

“Do I know her?”

Thomas looks at him as if he has no idea what he’s talking about. They’re in a small coffeeshop. Mats brought his research, Thomas a few magazines to work through. Mats huffs.

“Him, then.”

A grin slowly spreads on Thomas’ face. He pockets his phone and leaves the question unsatisfyingly unanswered.

It’s a few days until Mats brings it up again. It’s really annoying when your friend pays more attention to his phone than to you. Apparently, Thomas had an actual date with his mysterious guy the other day, and he returned with a renewed glow and a smile even wider than usual.

“It’s just unfair that you have a boyfriend–”

Thomas interrupts him. “Not my boyfriend just yet.” Mats ignores him

“–when I don’t even know how to contact Benedikt!!”

That makes Thomas pause. Surprisingly, he even slides his phone into his pocket as he tilts his head.

“Benedikt? Oh. You actually were interested in him. Like, in something more than a ‘oh he’s cute’ thing?”

“YES!” Mats’ voice almost cracks. “Didn’t you notice??”

Thomas sighs his don’t-be-so-stupid-Hummels sigh. “I can’t notice it when you just return to your weird broody state without even giving a single sign as to what it’s even about. I’m not a psychic.”

“You aren’t?”

Thomas hits him over the head with an especially thick issue of 11 Freunde.

“You’re an asshole, Mull,” Mats grumbles. 

Sure, he wouldn’t freely admit he’s been dreaming of Benedikt’s smile ever since the lake incident, but it’s not like he suspected his infatuation could be hidden from his best friend in any shape or form. After all, he’s been wearing the shirt he received from Benedikt’s roommate religiously, even if he knows it doesn’t actually belong to his crush (also, he’s had to wash it a couple time, so it only smells like himself anyway.)

“I don’t even have his number. I wanna send him cute texts too, I want to see his face, I want to … ugh. Why didn’t I ask him for his number – and it’s not like I can go knocking on his door just like that. I’m so stupid.”

Thomas of course doesn’t disagree and only laughs at him. And goes on dates and returns form each one with smile happier than before and a healthy flush on his cheeks. That wanker. When he shows up one morning with a bounce in his step and a slightly lewd smirk, Mats is suddenly glad that they don’t live together. 

“So when do I get to meet him.”

“Hmm?” Thomas is busy texting loverboy again.

“Your little sexpot.” 

His friend snorts. “Really not that little,” he mumbles before turning back to his phone.

“Huh.” Mats pokes his side. “So, when? I have the best friend duty to give the guy a stern talking to.”

Thomas sighs and types something else; then he lets out an amused chuckle. “Manu says you’re annoying.”

So Manu is his name. Manuel, Mats assumes.

“He also says that he wants his clothes back at some point.”

Mats gives him a confused look. “Why would I have any of your boyfriend’s clothes? I haven’t hooked up with anyone in ages. Also, I hope you’d know better than to go after my one-night stands.”

Thomas rolls his eyes so hard they threaten to disappear into his eye socket. “Yes, you do. You’re wearing his shirt right now.”

It takes a second ‘til it clicks.

“WhAT?!”

Thomas is grinning again, and Mats really wonders why they ever became friends. (He’d probably skin anyone claiming it’s because they’re the only ones able to keep up with each other’s chattiness. Thomas is a lot worse with that than him, too.) 

Anyway, Thomas is the worst friend, honestly, if he thinks this shit is any kind of funny.

Right now, said traitor of a friend has already gotten up from his chair, getting in defensive position behind Mats’ couch.

“For the record, Manu also says Bene thought you were cute too.” He ducks as Mats throws a pillow at him. “And before you go yelling at me, it’s your own fault for not asking him for his number. And for not telling me about this little crush of yours – I wasn’t going to make it  _ that _ easy for you.” 

He cackles when Mats throws his slipper at him next, barely managing to duck away as the projectile knocks over a stack of books. “Honestly, you should take a leaf out of my book more often – I intended to ask Manu for his number the second he opened that door and I noticed how cute he was.”

That really does nothing to stifle Mats’ rage.

“Your boyfriend literally lives with Benedikt!! I told you about my infatuation for him THREE WEEKS AGO!”

When Thomas flashes him a weak, apologizing but not-at-all-sorry smile, Mats only snorts before letting his head drop back against the wall, pressing his eyes close together, wondering what his life has become.

His bruises are completely healed by the time Mats is first formally introduced to Manuel.

The tall man quirks a grin as Mats hands him his bundle of clothes – freshly washed of course, and even including the t-shirt he grew so fond of (in the end it just became too weird, wearing his best friend’s boyfriend’s stuff, even when it did remind him of his crush) – just before Thomas throws his arms around him, gripping onto his waist in an unusually protective way, stealing a couple pecks from a smiling Manuel’s lips.

Over the course of the afternoon, Mats begrudgingly admits that they are kinda nice together. Thomas’ lithe, lanky frame is a good contrast to Manuel’s broader, thicker one, his talkative manner complimenting Manuel’s more taciturn personality. And if nothing else, the soft smiles and gentle looks they exchange speak volumes about just how disgustingly in love they actually are.

And despite being relatively quiet in general and leaving most of the talking to his boyfriend and Mats, it’s Manuel who brings up the touchy subject in the end.

With a quick cough, he hands Mats a little snippet of paper. A few neat-looking numbers have been scratched on it with a pencil, and Mats looks at them with wide-eyed wonder.

Manuel clears his throat. “You know, I didn’t realize how genuine your interest was until Thommy told me about your confession the other day. And even if it’s kinda funny that you’ve been mooning for each other without knowing the other felt the same, I don’t think it’s fair to just leave you in the dark like this.” He sends a glare in Thomas’ direction. 

Thomas harrumphs, then shrugs as his trademark grin blossoms on his face again before he leans over, kissing Manuel on the cheek.

It’s weird, seeing him, his brash, loud, goofy friend, being so incredibly tender, Mats thinks. He can see Manuel’s cheeks flush because of all the loving attention he’s receiving, but nevertheless he turns back to Mats, fixing him with an earnest look.

“Honestly. Call him.”

Then he turns back to Thomas with a delighted giggle. 

Mats figures it’s high time he leaves them alone.

It takes him another five days to muster up the courage. He usually wouldn’t call himself a coward, but so far, every time he picked up his phone with the intent to call Benedikt, or even just to text him, he put it back down again with shaking hands. 

Now, he’s laying on his bed, fiddling with it, his thumb hovering over the call button.

It’s almost on accident when he presses it. His heart starts racing as it rings, and it stops beating all together when Benedikt picks up, his voice rough as sandpaper.

“Hello?”

Mats clutches his phone even tighter. He swears he can feel his feet sweating – he doesn’t know what it is about Benedikt that has more of an effect on him than anyone ever managed to, but it’s undeniably there.

“Hello, who’s there?”

Oh right, he was supposed to talk.

“Um, hi. It’s Mats. The guy from the lake? Sorry for taking so long to get back to you – you probably noticed anyway, but I forgot to get your number.”

There’s a pause at the other end of the line, and for a second Mats fears Benedikt has forgotten about him. But then, Benedikt chuckles, and how is it that Mats can so perfectly picture the dimples forming on his cheeks?

“Mats, what a surprise. Do tell, does you suddenly calling me after almost six weeks maybe have something to do with the fact that Manuel suddenly seemed to have gotten his favourite pair of sweatpants back?”

Mats groans, but then he can’t help but chuckle too.

“Guess that roommate of yours and my best friend were a lot quicker than us in that regard.”

He can literally hear Benedikt lift his eyebrows.

“In what regard exactly?”

Mats really hopes he doesn’t imagine the flirty undertone there. He takes a deep breath.

“Would you be interested in meeting up next week?”

“Like a date?”

He exhales. “Yeah, exactly like a date.”

Benedikts only takes five seconds to consider.

“I think I’d love that.”

Mats can feel his lips spread in a grin so wide his cheeks almost hurt as he fistpumps. “Great. I know this really nice coffeeshop in town … how about Tuesday afternoon?”

“Sure thing. Looking forward to it, Matthias.” 

Mats isn’t sure what he thinks about Benedikt already having a nickname for him. Well, apart from the way it makes his heart flutter.

“Also,” Benedikt chuckles again. “Our best friends are assholes.”

And well, that statement, Mats would happily sign. But he’s sure both of them wouldn’t trade them for anyone else anyway.

After all, Thomas and Manuel are what made Mats and Benedikt possible in the first place.

 

**Author's Note:**

>   * I don't really have much to add to this one, except:
>   * pls just imagine Thomas sliding into Manu's dms. I'm not going to write it, but I think picturing it is absolutely hilarious
>   * I write FICTION about real people. None of this is intended to harm them or their reputation in any way
> 

> 
> Please leave kudos and maybe a comment if you liked it! | [tumblr](http://manuelmueller.tumblr.com/)


End file.
